Henry Herndon Appointed Executive Director of the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire

The Board of Directors of the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire (CPCNH) has appointed Henry Herndon as the organization’s Executive Director, effective March 11, 2026, concluding the Board’s search for a chief executive. Herndon has served as Acting General Manager and previously as Director of Member Services, helping guide CPCNH through a period of rapid growth and operational maturation.

Since entering the New Hampshire energy sector in 2015, Herndon has been a key leader in advancing innovative energy market initiatives in New Hampshire. As a founding contributor to CPCNH, he played a central role in launching and scaling the organization and supporting municipalities as they established local energy programs.

“Henry has played a central role in building CPCNH from its early formation into a mature statewide organization supporting dozens of Community Power programs,” said Kimberley Quirk, Chair of the CPCNH Board of Directors. “During the past year, his leadership as Acting General Manager has strengthened our operational systems, financial discipline, and risk management practices while continuing to expand services to our member communities.”

“The Board has full confidence in Henry’s ability to lead CPCNH through its next phase of growth and stability, and we are pleased to appoint him as Executive Director,” Quirk added.

Today, CPCNH supports 50 Community Power programs serving approximately 180,000 customers statewide, providing electricity supply services, technical expertise, and program administration to participating New Hampshire communities.

As Acting General Manager, Herndon oversaw CPCNH’s staff, contractors, and daily operations while advancing several key organizational priorities. His leadership strengthened enterprise risk management and cost-of-service modeling, stabilized financial reserves, improved rate-setting processes, and enhanced internal financial reporting.

During this period, CPCNH expanded services, including development of community-scale renewable energy projects and growth of the coalition’s renewable energy certificate (REC) aggregation program. The organization also improved financial transparency and strengthened engagement with policymakers and energy industry stakeholders, giving municipalities and customers a stronger voice in state energy policy decisions.

“Moving forward, we are committed to working collaboratively with utilities, policymakers, and industry partners to ensure New Hampshire’s energy market works for Granite Staters.” ~ Henry Herndon, CPCNH Executive Director.

Looking ahead, CPCNH’s strategic priorities include strengthening long-term operational sustainability, maintaining strong governance and financial discipline, improving internal systems and staffing, expanding statewide impact, and continuing to deliver measurable benefits for member communities through competitive electricity rates and local energy initiatives.

Herndon also emphasized the importance of continued collaboration with member communities, staff, and partners.

“It is an honor to serve the member communities that built CPCNH and to continue working alongside the staff, contractors, Board, and partners who make this organization successful,” said Herndon. “Community Power has markedly increased the landscape of competitive energy options in New Hampshire while empowering municipalities to develop local energy solutions that benefit their residents and businesses.”

In the coming year, CPCNH will continue investing in technical capacity across power operations, portfolio management, and finance while supporting Community Power programs and developing innovative energy solutions that benefit New Hampshire municipalities and their residents.

“Moving forward, we are committed to working collaboratively with utilities, policymakers, and industry partners to ensure New Hampshire’s energy market works for Granite Staters,” said Herndon.